Raid on Gloucestershire storage unit unearths over £100k of fake car parts - as one in six drivers could be at risk from lethal counterfeit components

More than 3,600 counterfeit car parts have been seized in a major operation to tackle the illegal trade of fake - and potentially lethal - vehicle components in Britain.

South Gloucestershire Trading Standards traced knock-off car parts - including sensors and spark plugs - to an illicit trader dealing from a self-storage facility in the region.

Smashing into the unit, officers seized items with an estimated market value of more than £100,000.

The counterfeit vehicle parts found were all unauthorised fake copies, designed to look like genuine components from reputable brands.

They are sold illegally to defraud consumers and businesses, and are usually made with vastly inferior materials and manufacturing processes, which typically results in them malfunctioning.

As such, they dramatically increase the risk of motorists being involved in accidents they would otherwise avoid had they purchased genuine parts.

Research published last year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that counterfeit vehicle parts imported to the UK were worth almost £2.2billion in 2021.

Experts believe the scale of the illegal activity is putting one in six drivers in danger.

The cheap fake parts are typically concealed in shipping containers when they arrive in UK to evade detection.

These components are not subjected to rigorous testing required for genuine factory products, making them far more likely to fail.

In the best-case scenario, drivers are left having to pay out again for an authentic part. However, the risk can be far greater.

Because they offer no safety guarantees and put drivers, passengers and other road users at risk, they can cause expensive damage to vehicles, potential write-offs or, worst of all, serious accidents.

The South Gloucestershire operation, supported by the Government's Intellectual Property Office (IPO), involved enforcement teams from eight major car manufacturers.

Having monitored the sophisticated counterfeiting business operating out of the local area, it uncovered a variety of illegal parts ready for widespread distribution to the motoring public.

Other car parts seized in the July raid included fake oil filters, air filters, fuel filters and windscreen wipers. Officers also discovered sheets of unused counterfeit labels alongside counterfeit parts in plain packaging.

The IPO's deputy director of enforcement Helen Barnham said: 'Counterfeit vehicle parts can lead to life-changing or life-ending consequences for road users. This is anything but a victimless crime.

'These fake parts bypass safety tests and are often made with vastly inferior materials, putting them at serious risk of failure with potentially devastating results.

'This latest seizure demonstrates that criminals are continuing to exploit the use of legitimate self-storage facilities across the UK to store counterfeit goods.

'We're working closely with law enforcement across the UK to stay ahead of the criminals, but motorists must stay vigilant, especially when buying parts online. Our message is clear: fake always breaks.'

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South Gloucestershire Council cabinet member for Trading Standards, Councillor Sean Rhodes, added: 'Counterfeit vehicle parts are not just illegal - they are potentially lethal.

'Our Trading Standards team, working with national partners and industry experts, has acted decisively to protect motorists and the wider public.

'We urge everyone to be vigilant when buying vehicle parts, especially online, and to report anything suspicious. Safety must come first, and this seizure sends a clear message that we will not tolerate criminal activity that could put lives at risk.'

Toyota and Stellantis - the parent group of Citroen, Peugeot, Vauxhall and other major brands - were also involved in the sting.

Toyota Motor Europe's brand protection operations responsible, Alper Demirci said: 'Counterfeit vehicle parts can pose a real threat to the health and safety of our customers.

'At Toyota Motor Europe, we greatly value our collaboration with enforcement agencies in our fight against counterfeiting.

Paul Foster, corporate and brand protection investigations manager at Stellantis said it too had 'worked closely' with law enforcement agencies and other vehicle manufacturers to identify and the remove counterfeit car parts to 'help protect UK motorists against the harms of illegal and potentially dangerous fake goods'.

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders chief executive, Mike Hawes, added: 'The automotive industry invests billions developing parts and components that are safe, reliable and built to last, with many governed by stringent UN ECE Regulations for on-road use.

'Parts which fail to meet such standards, or are counterfeit, pose a safety and environmental risk to motorists and other road users.

'Clamping down on their availability and building consumer awareness is crucial to keep Britain’s roads safe so this collaboration between manufacturers, law enforcement and regulators is essential.'

As well as a significant road safety risk, the fake car part market is also a huge drain on legitimate businesses whose products are being copied and sold as counterfeits online.

Dan Rack, director of motorcycle parts and accessories business Drury Precision Engineering in Alford, Lincolnshire, told the BBC that within six months of the company launching a new product it expects to see fake versions appear online.

He described it as a 'massive problem' that's 'quite demoralising' for genuine small businesses who follow rules and pay fees to enter the market lawfully.

He said the company spends up to £50,000 a year protecting its trademarks and intellectual property.

But vehicle crime experts warn this is just the tip of the iceberg for what has become a lucrative illegal car parts market controlled by criminal groups.

A separate raid by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) in East London last September saw 500 counterfeit air bags seized.

In a recent survey, the IPO found that one in six motorists had bought a counterfeit part in the previous 12 months alone.

And - concerningly - the majority had done so knowingly, the poll uncovered.

Some 58 per cent of the 1,394 motorists surveyed said they were aware the parts they were purchasing weren't genuine, with a third saying they bought them simply to save money.

A similar percentage admitted they had bought fake parts because they felt there was no 'discernible difference in appearance' to the real thing.

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For the majority of those who bought fake parts unintentionally, they were only made aware they were not genuine by garages during routine servicing or when the faulty part was being replaced.

Worryingly, the IPO survey also revealed that the fake items purchased most commonly are also those posing the greatest danger to safety.

These include car batteries (bought by 25 per cent of those admitting to buying fakes), tyres and wheels (23 per cent), and - critically - brake pads or discs (12 per cent), and airbags (14 per cent).

In many instances where counterfeit components are installed, the car is sold to a new owner who is unaware of the fake parts, which puts them in unsuspecting danger.

Drivers are being urged to look for telltale signs of fake vehicle parts predominantly being sold online - and avoid them like the plague.

This includes vague product descriptions, poor quality packaging, missing safety guidelines, incorrect serial numbers, misspellings on parts or packaging and instructions in a language other than expected.

The IPO and Trading Standards is also urging garages to remain vigilant when purchasing parts, particularly online or from unfamiliar suppliers.